Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Well, another week in Cusco. Looking back, I realize I didn´t tell you a whole lot about what´s going on here last week. Still, not a whole lot. But I forgot one kind of major thing...

We´re working with a really cool family right now. They have been taking the lessons for a couple months and I just came in the middle of everything. Parents (Alicia and Crisotomo) and four daughters (Keiko, Sharmely, Shela, and Kharla). Pretty ideal for missionary standards! They are seriously some of the coolest people I´ve met. It´s almost like everything we teach they already know because they´re so ready and prepared for the gospel! So, big news, the parents are getting married this Friday and the whole family is getting baptized on Saturday. Yeah, should be a pretty great weekend!

In other news, this is lame, but there wasn´t a lot of work going on for us this week. Let me explain. Tuesday we had a multizone conference with President Harbertson all day. Always the best days of the change cycle by the way. On Wednesday I was taking Hna Camacho to the hospital and right before we got in the door she fell on her bad leg. She fractured her leg (still don´t know if she´ll go home yet or not) and I stayed in the hospital with her all day and over night. Not good. On the bright side tho, my bucket list goal of sleeping in the hospital with someone got checked off...

So yeah, the rest of the week was really slow. We´re working a lot with the family but lacking investigators outside of them. Hopefully this week things can pick up.

I´m loving Cusco. The hermanas in our apartment are so fun!! Seven of us - only me and one other North American. It´s pretty fun. There´s ALWAYS something going on. A little crazy. But sometimes that´s a good thing :)

Things are still very rough with Hna Liza. But hey, couldn´t go too long without a hard companion. Hopefully we can figure things out sooner or later... She´s great. We just don´t mesh very well. It´s cool.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Well, Cusco and Puerto are about as similar as Mars and Pluto. Lots of cars and buildings and people that actually wear clothing. It´s nice. It´s cold. The people are a lot more city-like and closed off but they´re good people.

I´m in a trio with Hna Camacho (from Mexico) and Hna Liza (from Lima). They were together last transfer and I just got added in. Hna Camacho has a broken leg right now tho so she stays with members all day while Hna Liza and I work. So I´m only kind of in a trio I guess... I got here and there was nothing happening in the sector because they could never leave because of her leg. It´s been kind of a rough week. Hna Liza is a good missionary. We don´t really click yet. I learned that if I do stupid things like dance around or sing to her sometimes she´ll laugh at me and we can be friends for a little bit. Teaching is a little rough. We defnitely need to work on our balance/unity/trust as we teach. Slowly but surely. Keep you updated!

As for Cusco question.

// The trip was rough. Very long and windy. But beautiful. Very beautiful!!

// The weather is great! It´s nice to not be sweating from every part of my body. I´m definitely loving my sweaters and blankets!

// We live in an apartment with two other companionships. It´s pretty fun! There´s more girls in this apartment than there were in my entire zone in Puerto. I'm in the middle of the city. Our pensionista lives on the floor below us, but right now she only does lunch so we cook our own dinner...

So far so good. I miss Puerto a lot. Like, a lot a lot. But I´m trying to love Cusco just as much. Haven´t hit that point yet, but someday.

Matt 10:39-40

Sounds like things are great at home!! There´s nothing better to hear than that yáll are happy :)

Monday, September 8, 2014

HOLD THE PHONE! HANG ON A SECOND. NOBODY MOVE. IT`S TRANSFER WEEK?!?!?! And I have a change to CUSCO:( I literally just want to cry right now. I love Puerto and I never want to leave!!! They tell you to put your heart in it and love the people. Then right when everything is going PERFECTLY and you feel like you really have a spot and your companion and you are best friends, He tells you to leave. I`m excited for Cusco. But I`m very surprised right now. And yeah, a little bit sad. I know it`s God`s plan for me to be there and there are going to be amazing things in Cusco too. Just, ahhh, my heart doesn`t want to leave Puerto.

I have so many amazing things to say about this week. But I feel like I`m going to break down and start bawling at the computer if I start talking about all of them. So I`m not gonna do that. But we really saw lots of miracles this week. All the way from just finding people in the street to seeing Yersin`s face when he received the priesthood. Lots of good things are happening in Puerto. Hna. Nelson and her new companion are going to do lots of good here!

So yeah, I`m sure I`ll have lots to say in next week`s email. Today`s going to be hard. But I`m excited to move forward.

Have I used this title before? Yes or no, doesn`t matter. I`m happy like a worm right now.

Minus the fact that the internet keeps going out and I keep losing everything... this is the choppy/stressed out version of what I wanted to send.

Basically, everything is great! Jhasmina and Yersin got MARRIED!! And he got baptized right after! It was SO good. They`re so happy. And we`re so happy for them. They`re already doing so much for this little branch as a "new" young couple.

President and Sister Harbertson came this week, too. Every time they come it`s like a mini general conference. I`d give you details on that but again, time is cut a little short this week.

I got the package and I LOVE it. Yall are the best. Thank you :):)

This is a little request for everybody- friends and family and anyone who reads the blog who feels so inclined :)

I`m doing a little project, and I would love if you could send me stories/TESTIMONIES about how the goepel has blessed or changed your life. Missions. Day to day life. Whatever you want! Just something. And if you could, send each story in it`s own email :) Please and thank you with a cherry on top! And really, everyone. Member, nonmember, friends or strangers. I was going to send out a special email to certain people, but there were WAY to many. I figured this was more affective.

Thank you for all the support and love. I appreciate everything yall do for me and the work!

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

As for the week, normal week. Meaning it was actually pretty fantastic! It`s amazing to me how the Lord looks out for us and blesses us every single day.

The big topic for the week is still Jhasmina and Yersin. I`ll tell a little bit more I guess. She comes from an LDS family, but they were all inactive up until recently and he started investigating the church when we came to find her. INCREDIBLE family/couple. It took my first 3 transfers here befor anything really happened. They've really changed. I`ll start with "the talk."

Hna. Nelson and I had a SERIOUS talk with them a little bit ago. We were trying to figure out what they were expecting to happen and if they were really willing to do the things they needed to to change. Before that talk there was no reading or praying going on. He would still leave every Saturday to drink with his friends, and the home in general was just stressful and choatic. Something snapped, and seriously the changes that we`ve seen in them cannot be described. They pray and read together every night. We come over and they`re happy and smiling and excited to talk. Seriously, EVERYTHING is better in their lives now thanks to the gospel and those little things they`re doing. He even called us the other night and asked for a chapter to read in the Book of Mormon while he was sitting outside of work with nothing to do (1, wanted EXTRA reading to do and 2, he carries his Book of Mormon around with him to work. I love it).

Anyway, so they are getting married this Saturday!!!!! Woooooo!!! And he`s getting baptized right after the wedding before the party. I have never seen somebody so happy and excited in my entire life. And to see the change in him, well, in both of them really, is a huge blessing to me. It really shows me how much of a difference the gospel can make in a home. It`s incredible.

So yeah, we are planning and putting together the wedding. Heads up for pictures next week!!

Really this week has helped me to really realize how much I love the gospel. I`ve always loved the gospel, and I`ve always known I`ve loved the gospel, but I`ve actually sat and thought about it this week. It`s perfect. And it`s all here for anybody and everybody who is willing to listen and accept it. I know it`s true and there really isn`t anything greater in the whole world. I`ve been lucky and blessed enough to have had it for my entire life, and I love being a part of sharing it with other people around the world.

Happy and grateful.

Other news we`ve learned recently just to put some things in perspective...

// There are 782 less active members in our branch boundaries alone.

// In the whole mission, there are 5,000 return missionaries. Of those 5,000, 4,500 are less active.